Review: Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 2- Source Code

Quick Summary

Pros: Dialogue and interactions between the main characters is authentic and entertaining. The story has some exciting moments.

Cons: The story stumbles in a few places and feels forgettable. The artwork is not good.

Overall: This is an alright volume that should appeal to fans of the Birds of Prey. The story here is average and the artwork is lackluster, which may keep standard fans away. However, the Birds themselves manage to stand out and provide some appeal for the book as a whole. In the end, this collection may be worthwhile for readers who already enjoy these heroes and who want to see them even more.

Story

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 2: Source Code, by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson, is average when it comes to storytelling but is pretty successful when it comes to showcasing the volume’s characters. In this book, the Birds of Prey are at the forefront of action and make sure to take advantage of this position. This gives them plenty of opportunities to joke around with one another, give each other inspiration, and generally show of their skills as heroes. However, the story detailing their interactions is average at best and contains a number of moments that end up falling flat. This gives the book somewhat mixed quality and may only make it worth it to dedicated fans of these heroes.

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The major positives in Source Code are mostly derived from the characters. Batgirl, Black Canary, Huntress, and newcomer Oracle all have interesting and entertaining interactions among their unique group. These interactions can range from wholesome feelings of admiration to flair-ups of general annoyance, a combination that is satisfying and sometimes funny to see play out. In addition, the later inclusion of Catwoman and Poison Ivy add an antihero twist to the team. All of this helps make the entire gang feel more realistic and creates a deeper sense of commitment to their activities.

These interactions are all held up by a story that is pretty average, for the most part. This story mostly centers around the Birds of Prey facing off against various threats, both internal and external. The end result creates moments of tension and action to keep things interesting.

However, there are also a number of places where the story stumbles. One of the arcs ends with an overly cheesy moment where the characters free Black Canary from mind control thanks to special information, which just ends up with them talking to her. In addition, another arc has Poison Ivy appearing to control bees on one page and then explaining that she can’t control bees later on. In the end, these lackluster moments take away from the story’s overall appeal and leaves it feeling rather forgettable.

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Art

In our review of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Who is Oracle? (Review), we discussed how lackluster the art was, mostly due to how bad characters’ faces look. This volume is no different. Characters still look incredibly odd on most pages, to the point where it distracts from the artwork’s more positive attributes. There are also places where the level of detail drops drastically and leaves people or items looking worse than they should. Though there are pages that look solid and moments that have plenty of charm, the negatives here outweigh the positives and make the visuals here hard to fully enjoy.

Continuity

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 2: Source Code continues the story from Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Who is Oracle? (Review).

The story here continues in Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Vol. 3: Full Circle (Review).

This volume also references the stories from many other comics books, all of which are detailed below:

• At the beginning of this book, one of the apartments shown appears to belong to Catwoman. The realtors mention that she was sent to Arkham for murder. This is a reference to the events of Batman Vol. 2: I am Suicide (Review).
• Barbara’s company Gordon Clean Energy is mentioned. She started this company in Batgirl Vol. 3: Minefields (Review).
• Black Canary mentions that she and Green Arrow are in a relationship. This begins in Green Arrow Vol. 1: The Death and Life Of Oliver Queen (Review).
• Barbara mentions that Dick Grayson is in a relationship with someone. This begins in Nightwing Vol. 2: Back to Blüdhaven.
• Helena calls Dick “Agent 37” and Dick calls Helena “Matron.” This is a reference to their time together in Spyral, which lasted from Grayson Vol. 1: Agents of Spyral (Review) until Grayson Vol. 5: Spiral’s End (Review).
  • They also talk about the last time they saw each other. This can be found in Nightwing: Rebirth #1, collected in either Grayson Vol. 5: Spiral’s End (Review) or Nightwing Vol. 1: Better than Batman (Review).
  • Their mutual friend named Patron/Tiger is brought up. He had a role throughout the Grayson series and then in Nightwing Vol. 1: Better than Batman (Review).
• Dick Grayson mentions going undercover in the Court of Owls. These events are told in Nightwing Vol. 1: Better than Batman (Review).
• Though Nightwing mentions tracking down Gemini in Blüdhaven, this is her first appearance.
• Nightwing suggests a support group to Gemini. This group is from Nightwing Vol. 2: Back to Blüdhaven.
• The Calculator and Barbara’s prior encounters happened throughout the pre-New 52 Birds of Prey series. However, one that seems to be specifically mentioned here is the Oracle: The Cure storyline.
• The relationship between Catwoman and Batman is mentioned a few times throughout this collection. Flirtations between these characters have existed since their inception but have become more prominent due to the events of Batman Vol. 2: I am Suicide (Review).